Break Away pool team earns back-to-back trip to nationals

WAYNESBORO — Considering the sheer volume of competition, advancing to the national stage is quite the accomplishment.

When referencing one particular pool team from Break Away Sports Lounge — making the trip to Las Vegas is quickly becoming routine.

For the second consecutive year, a representative of Break Away (located on South Potomac Street in Waynesboro) has qualified for the APA National Team Championships held annually at the Riviera Hotel & Casino.

Beginning this weekend, the squad comprised of Paul Adolini, Jeff Kirkpatrick, Trevor Monn, Eric Weisbrod, Dustin Baker, Paul Harp, Clint Long and Quinn Adolini will take to the table against some of the country's finest, all competing for the top prize of $25,000.

While some cast members have changed, Break Away is coming off a 33rd-place finish at nationals a year ago — a sensational showing in a tournament consisting of between 700 and 800 teams.

Now, after earning a return trip, Break Away is again poised to make some noise in Sin City.

"This is the first time we've had a team make it back-to-back years," team captain and Break Away owner Paul Adolini said. "Some people have been playing for 20-plus years and never won a trip, so it's definitely an accomplishment that we're proud of."

Break Away will be participating in the Open 8-Ball Championship, which includes any combination of men and women utilizing a specific handicap system.

Five individuals are then selected to represent each team per match, with the first team to win three individual games being declared the winner.

At nationals, all teams are guaranteed to play at least two games under a modified single-elimination format. However, even if a team wins its first two matches, any loss from that point forward results in elimination.

How they got there

Recognized of the world's largest pool league, the APA (American Poolplayers Association) fields thousands of weekly, local divisions across the country, splitting the calendar into three separate sessions (summer, fall and winter).

At the conclusion of each session, a local playoff is conducted to determine regional qualifiers, with Break Away ultimately advancing to the June regional held in Lancaster.

Here, teams were placed into three brackets/boards, with the winner of each booking a trip to Vegas.

Under the one-and-done format, Break Away managed to go undefeated at regionals, thus solidifying a spot at nationals.

Ironically, in a separate regional bracket, a second team from Break Away finished runner-up to a squad from Park Tavern, who will also be representing Waynesboro this weekend in Sin City.

By winning the regional, Adolini's team received free airfare and hotel stay for the upcoming tournament, serving as an added bonus to the already rewarding experience.

Page 2 of 2 - "We're just going to go and enjoy it," Adolini said. "We have a solid team and hopefully we can put it all together."